The launch took place on 16 August, 2024 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with Phisat-2 launching alongside other satellites onboard SpaceX's Falcon 9.
The Phisat-2 satellite combines a multispectral camera with a computer that allows AI apps to run onboard, via the NanoSat MO Framework (NMF). This framework has been developed specifically for small satellites and allows the apps to be installed, updated and operated remotely from Earth.
ESA, who named Oxfordshire-based Open Cosmos as the mission’s prime contractor, said the satellite measures just 22 x 10 x 33cm and carries a multispectral instrument that images Earth in seven different bands (plus a panchromatic band) in the visible to near-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
While AI has already proved invaluable for analysing terabytes of satellite data, Open Cosmos said that most of this AI processing takes place on the ground, after the data has been downloaded; the Phisat-2 mission instead allows this to happen directly at source.
Instead of downlinking reams of raw data, the onboard apps can process and transmit only the most essential information back to Earth, giving tangible benefits in data transmission efficiency and resulting in faster decision-making.
The partners said that this will prove critical for disaster response efforts, maritime monitoring, environmental protection, cloud detection and more.
